Spring-saddle.



W. HAWKINS & H. E. LOBB.

SPRING SADDLE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1913.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

FIE. 5- FIG. 61

FIG. 8

71 Hawk/n5. H 5 L066 /n van/bra main sar WILLIAM HAWKINS AND HENRY EPPLETT LOBB, OF AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND.

SPRING-SADDLE;

Application filed September 10, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM HAWKINS, saddler, and HENRY Errnn'rr Lone, contractor, citizens of the Dominion of New Zealand, and residing at 72 Khyber Pass, Auckland, in the Provincial District of Auckland, in the Dominion of New Zealand, have invented certain new and useful'llmprovements in Spring-Saddles, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to riding saddles and particularly to the class of such saddles known as spring seated.-

Our invention provides improvements wherein spiral springs are employed beneath the seat.

In connection with our invention, we prefer to employ a seat constructed in a manner which we have devised and which will insure its flexibility and which will cause it to keep its shape. For this purpose we employ three layers of leather which we term respectively the cover, the intermediate piece and the bottom piece. The lower two of these sections are secured together by glue, cement or the like, over the whole of the surface, while the cover is preferably secured to the intermediate piece only around the edges of the intermediate piece. The result of employing a plurality of sections of leather secured to each other in this way is an extremely flexible and durable seatwhich maintains its shape without the aid of the roll which has hitherto always been used in flexible saddles. The springs in our invention are interposed between plates located between the seat and the stuffing panel.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing wherein:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of the complete saddle embodying our improvements. Fig. 2, is an enlarged section showing the edges of the saddle seat sections. Fig. 3, is a cross section on AA, Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a side sectional elevation on BB, Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is a plan of the intermediate piece and Fig. 6, a plan of the bottom piece. Fig. 7, is a plan of one of the bearing plates upon which the springs rest. Fig. 8, is a part sectional elevation showing the method of securing the ends of the spiral springs to the metal plates. Fig. 9, is a plan of the upper metal plate with the parts beneath it.

The drawing shows a. saddle having a half tree 1, such as is commonly used in flexible saddles. Our seat is comprised of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'J an. 6:, 1914.

Serial No. 789,215.

three layer sections, viz. the cover 2, the intermediate piece 3 and the bottom piece at. Around the edge of the cover is sewn the finishing skirt piece, 5, such as is usually used, and the draw-down strip 6. The intermediate piece is secured by glue or cement over the whole of its surface to the upper side of the bottom piece, and the seat may by similar means be secured around its edge to the upper side of the intermediate piece. By combining these three pieces in this manner, I can secure a combination which gives the maximum amountof re siliency and strength without sacrificing durability, and moreover by this means there is no metal piece under the forward end of the saddle, which makes this part of the saddle more springy and resilient. The edges of the intermediate piece and the draw-down piece are sewn together around the cane 7 which runs around the seat beneath the skirt.

The metal plate, 8, corresponding in shape and size to the rear portion of the bottom piece and curved to form the shape of the seat, is secured on the under face thereof by cement, rivets or the like and has secured upon it the downwardly projecting conical wire springs 9, 10, 11 and 12, the springs 9 and 10 being also secured to a bearing plate 13, (shown independently in Fig. 7 and the springs 11 and 12 being secured to a similar bearing plate 14:. The springs 10 and 12 are somewhat larger than the springs 9 and 11, as shown in the drawing, since greater weights are to be carried thereby and greater resiliency at the rear end of the saddle is necessary. This arrangement of springs gives a very comfortable saddle on account of the fact that there are no springs or metal parts under the leather forming the forward end of the saddle, which makes the forward part resilient and yielding, but the springs are located farther back, and the larger springs near the rearward end of the saddle, since when the rider is sitting upright on the saddle, the greatest weight comes at a point near the extreme rear end thereof.

To reduce friction upon the panel, we employ leather flaps 15 and 16 which are secured at their forward ends to the tree and respectively extend beneath the plates 13 and 14. A stufling panel, the casing 17 of which may conveniently be made of basil leather and serge, is employed in a precisely similar manner as in the case of an ordinary saddle, the rear part of the panel being sewn to the leather surrounding the cane. The cane is employed to facilitate sewing. The Ds 1'8 usually employed, are in our invention carried upon straps, 19, riveted upon the metal plate 8.

We have shown springs of the spiral wire type, but it will be well understood that they may be substituted by flat metal springs of the arch or bow type which may be secured to either of the plates or both of them. To secure the wire springs in position, U loops, 20, (see Fig. 8) are employed. These clip the wire and are secured by nuts or the like 21 to the metal plates between which they are located.

What we claim is 1. In a saddle, the combination of a flexible cover, a half tree and a panel; a curved metal plate located at the rearward end only of the saddle, beneath said cover, and extending nearly the entire width thereof, a pair of sheet metal bearing plates located upon the panel and coiled springs located Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents between said metal plate and said bearing plates, and attached to the same, the springs at the rearward end of said metal plate being larger than those at the forward end of the same.

2. A saddle comprising a bottom seat piece, an intermediate seat piece secured thereon over substantially its entire area, a top seat piece secured to said intermediate piece at its edge port-ions only, said three pieces being made of a strong but flexible material, a metal plate located belowthe rearward end only of said seat pieces and attached thereto a panel, bearing plates secured thereon, and springs located between said metal plate and said bearing plates.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

' l/VILLIAM HAWKINS.

HENRY EPPLETT LOBB.

Witnesses J OHN WOOD J owns, EDWARD HARRISON.

Washington, D. G. 

